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PGA Lesson Book
To play better golf, you must dedicate yourself to an action plan. An action plan has a set of
objectives that must be attained before going on to the next step. Too many golfers think there
is a quick fix out there, but there is not. Quick fixes tend to last only until the next hole or the
next round. There is no substitute for personal action.
The swing has two distinct phases: (1) pressing, before the major motion begins, and (2) the
actual swing itself. One of the hardest lessons to learn is the importance of the three pre-swing
principles: grip, aim, and setup.
PRE-SWING FUNDAMENTALS
The following pre-swing fundamentals will put you in the best position to make your golf swing.
 Grip
 Aim
 Stance
 Ball Position
Grip
1. The Importance of Grip
2. A Good Grip
3. Grip Options
The Importance of Grip
How can anything so bland, so inert and so preliminary as the grip be so important to
performance? If you take a poll among the millions of golfers who have received instruction,
you'll discover the grip wins "Golf's Dullest Principle Award" hands down (no pun intended).
Yet PGA teachers and tournament players line up with dutiful respect to extol the importance
of the grip as a Gibraltar-sized, rock-solid PRINCIPLE around which to build a golf swing.
One of the game's great teacher/player professionals, Tommy Armour, after a career of
watching thousands of swings, said, "If I could stand the strain, I would devote at least a
couple of weeks to grip instruction." He may have been exaggerating, but it showed how
serious he was in expressing his feelings on the absolute high priority that grip plays in good
golf.
If one were endowed with hands like Armour's -- strong and supple -- he'd enjoy a distinct
advantage in his potential to control the club. These attributes are an advantage, even for a
player with untalented and un-athletic hands, if he can learn to position them in a workable
manner. Despite this fact, if an inspection were called for on the way most of the world's
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golfers place their hands on a golf club, it would reveal that faulty grips prevail. Ask the top 60
PGA Tour money winners participating at the weekly pro-ams in the US and they'll attest to the
scarcity of sound grips among their amateur partners. It explains how an old chestnut like "you
never see a good player with a bad grip or a bad player with a good grip" achieves credence.
Golf does not make a difference! If one is seeking a higher authority on the issue, someone in
the golfing immortal class, then let's wrap up this case for the grip's importance with a quote
from a man who, when discussing golf, didn't waste words on trivia. He said simply, "Good golf
begins with a good grip." Ben Hogan has spoken.
A Good Grip
What is a good grip? Which style should be selected? Being bombarded by tips, hints, secrets
from books, newspapers, magazines and TV must raise some basic questions for the player
seeking the truth about the golf grip. What should the player do? Interlock or overlap? Grip
tightly or lightly? Use a long thumb or a short thumb? Show three knuckles or two knuckles?
Lay the grip in the roots of the fingers or diagonally across the hand? Try to keep the hands
quiet or active? Apply constant or changing pressure? And how about all of the variations
within and choices beyond these examples? There must be countless combinations.
Back to the question: What is a good grip? It is the one that lets the player hit the most good
shots! More specifically, it maximizes the number of shots that meet the criteria for distance
and direction. Since solving the problem of distance and direction is golf's ultimate and
absolute challenge, then whatever combination of PREFERENCES a player utilizes to
accomplish that objective becomes a "good grip."
Accepted Grip Statements
Actually there are more areas of agreement than disagreement on grip among teachers and
players. The areas of consensus are listed below:
Areas of General Agreement
Even though there is a natural position in which the hands should hang, the correct golfgrip
does not seem to come naturally to the novice player. When the club is placed in the hands of
a beginner, he invariably holds it in a position that will not return the face to square, nor provide
for the greatest clubhead speed. Therefore, the grip must be learned.
If a golfer learns the grip incorrectly from the start, it can be changed, but it will take longer for
it to feel natural. In addition, he can expect that during stressful situations, he will instinctively
want to return to the former grip. Despite the discomfort or repetitive practice one experiences
in achieving a proper grip, it is worth the effort. For most players, the palms of the hands
should basically face each other or be turned slightly inward because that is the way most
arms hang. But there are exceptions. In some cases, particularly with heavy, barrel-chested
people, the hands can work effectively if each is rotated slightly outward, i.e. weak left, strong
right, provided the rotation is equal, i.e. the same number of degrees. Opinions vary on where
the 'v' should point and how many knuckles one should see. These are only guidelines, since it
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is easier to see more knuckles from a low hand address position than a high one. But even
among those who disagree on how rotated the hands should be, the majority feel that when
the palms are not aligned close to, or in, a parallel fashion, "they work against each other." For
those teachers who allow one of the hands to be further adjusted, it is usually the left that is
turned clockwise to a more closed-face position while the right palm still faces the target.
Grip pressure should be light enough to encourage clubhead speed without losing directional
control. It should be firm enough to keep the club from turning in the hands on contact, yet not
so firm that it destroys feel or speed.
The placement of the hands should allow them to work together as one unit, with no slippage
or repositioning.
Ultimately, the player should become comfortable with his grip and confident about the position
of the club face during the swing. The grip in the left hand should be where the last three
fingers of the left hand capture the club handle against the butt portion of the palm, while the
grip in the right hand cradles the club handle more in the fingers.
These are just guidelines to use to develop a grip philosophy. But there is so much more. This
part of the chapter also deals with recognizing PREFERENCES, those little variations within
the PRINCIPLES that can make a big difference.
Grip Options-Overlap, Interlock or Ten Fingers
There are four basic points within the PRINCIPLES of the grip where one can make choices
and demonstrate PREFERENCES.
1. Placement
2. Positioning
3. Pressure
4. Precision
Placement
Placement is the location of the hands on the grip in a vertical axis. How far up or down the
shaft is each hand placed? Should a player choke down on the grip or go up slightly over the
butt end? Are the hands spread apart? Are they flush with each other, overlapped, double
overlapped, one on top of the other (a putting grip for some or cross-handed)?
These are examples of placement choices. The choice of grip placement will be affected by
the size of the player's hands, their strength and suppleness. For example, the Vardon
overlapping grip has been passed down from one of the game's greatest players, Harry
Vardon, a man with large fingers and strong hands. Its use by a majority of golfers with these
attributes can hardly be questioned.
But what about the people who don't have athletic hands? The short-fingered, those weak in
grip strength, the junior player, a large percentage of ladies and others who find the overlap
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position less suitable for their hand structure? That's when the other options need to be
considered. Two U.S. Open Champions from the 1980s, Andy North and Jack Nicklaus, use
the interlocking grip. Both feel the hands are more secure and unified with this grip.
Unquestionably, it is useful for some players. However, be certain that the locking of the right
finger and left index finger do not get so deep that it forces the right-hand grip on the club into
the palm rather than the fingers.
The ten-finger grip, sometimes called a "baseball grip" is natural for most new players. They
seek to cover more of the grip surface in an effort to use the right hand and exert pressure
against the shaft so as to square the face and provide power. Obviously one gets more righthand leverage in a ten-finger grip (no overlap or interlock), since more of the club shaft is
covered. That's why this grip is often recommended to young golfers and to ladies whose
smaller hands occupy less area on the grip. These players cannot generate sufficient speed
through centrifugal force using their large muscles. Additional emphasis on the right hand by
putting more of it on the grip can be a disadvantage, however, if the player still hasn't trained
his left side to be an equal partner in the swing. The tendency to put early leverage pressure
on the club shaft by the right hand when using a ten-finger grip is why it is generally
recommended only for those groups previously mentioned.
How to Choose
How do your hands compare with each other in strength? A golfer may have a left-hand grip
strength of 127 lbs., measured on a hand dynamometer (grip strength gauge), and a right hand
reading of 166 lbs. One can see which hand will dominate. Should he emphasize the left side
in the swing, in which case subjugates the right in the grip, setup and swing to equalize the two
or, should the emphasis be on the stronger right hand, developing a right-side dominant
action? The choice of right-side or left-side emphasis could hinge on several factors. Rightside emphasis with a ten-finger grip might be the choice if, a) the player has limited back swing
length and is unable to recruit the large muscles of the trunk and back; and b) if the player has
adequate flexibility to turn, but low levels of strength in the trunk and back and needs right-side
leverage both for power and to square the face.
A left-side emphasis with an interlocking or overlapping grip might better fit the individual with,
a) reasonable strength levels who also possesses the flexibility to make a full turn and recruit
the large muscles of the back and trunk; or b) one who is very dominant on the right side,
causing the left side to break down continually.
Strive for Balance
Golf is neither a right-sided nor left-sided game. What we are striving for is the correct balance
of each side, left and right, to produce a swing that is timed properly and produces maximum
power. The difficulty of the task is that players have different levels of strength, flexibility and
dominance patterns. What works for one is not necessarily the best for the next. The challenge
is to maximize one's strength and minimize the limitations; to find the best balance of a right- or
left-side emphasis by focusing on the two sides together. But we do know that the left side is
the leader. It must arrive first.
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Position : Strong or Weak Grip?
Positioning the grip is the amount of rotation of the hands clockwise or counter-clockwise,
generally referred to as "strong" or "weak." Positioning depends on the size and strength of the
player's hands, plus the shape of the shot he is trying to hit. The terms "strong" and "weak,"
when used in a golf grip context, are both imprecise and misleading. Traditionally, a strong grip
is one in which the hands rotate clockwise on the shaft so the left hand shows more knuckles
(three or four) and the right hand will have the 'v' pointing to the right shoulder, or even farther
to the right.
In this text, this grip positioning will be called a "closed face grip," a position that encourages a
hook. One redeeming value of a hook is that it produces less backspin on the ball, frequently
resulting in more distance. Most of golf's great players hooked the ball when they were young.
This fact simply demonstrates that these players were physically talented enough to generate
a lot of club head speed by rotating the shaft and club face. To curb the tendency to hook
excessively, the physically gifted player may move his grip counter-clockwise into a "weaker"
position. He shows fewer knuckles of the left hand, so the back of the left hand faces the target
more squarely.
If a golfer sees fewer than two knuckles, we'll refer to that position as an "open face grip." With
a "neutral grip" the player's arms and hands hang naturally, with the hands rotated so the
thumbs point slightly inward toward the body's centerline. Gripping the club from this position
would find each thumb resting slightly on the opposite side of the grip's centerline. Generally
two knuckles would be visible on the back ofthe left hand, one knuckle on the back of the right.
What about you? Are you a strong player? Do you fight the hook? Ask a teaching professional
that question and probably 75% of the answers would be: "No, more of my pupils slice the ball
rather than hook it."
You have some choices though. You can stay with what you have because "If it works, don't fix
it." But if the slice causes a loss of distance, then a change may be necessary. If you have
Tom Watson's physical ability, then you can copy his grip. Lacking this ability, chances are
you'll need to employ a grip with more clockwise rotation - show two knuckles, three, or in
extreme cases, even more in the left hand. Whatever the choice, the right palm must be
positioned behind the shaft in the direction the palm is facing. Try to avoid extremes because
any extreme rotation of the hands to a closed-face position will limit the degree of wrist coil
available.
Grip Pressure
Pressure is not difficult to describe; it's simply how hard one is squeezing the club. It is
extremely difficult, however, to explain the proper amount of grip pressure and to communicate
that feel. We hear words such as "light" and "firm" which, of course, are only relative. Light
pressure to a strong person may mean "squeezing the club to death" for someone with weak
hands. Besides, the correct pressure is relative.
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A club traveling at a higher rate of speed (the driver) will exert more pulling force away from
the player and require a stronger grip pressure to hold than one moving more slowly (the
putter). The player, however, does not need to consciously grip the club tighter as speed
increases. It happens instinctively. This can be demonstrated by gripping the club in the left
hand and raising it waist high in front of you. Have a friend take hold of the head and try to pull
the club from your hand, as you resist. When the friend tugs, you automatically increase the
grip pressure.
The same thing happens in the swing. It's a wonderful example of the adaptability of the
human mind and body. Because it is important to achieve the correct feel, it's good practice
when working on a grip change to do so in the presence of a professional instructor, who can
see and hear the swing to determine whether the correct pressure is being applied. Analogies
seem to work well when trying to communicate feel.
For example, if seeking light pressure for a more centrifugal force-type swing, "You are
exerting the right amount of pressure if the weight of the club head can actually be sensed, as
though it were a rock on the end of a rope that is about to be swung." Or, "Imagine the grip
portion of the club as a tube of toothpaste. Don't squeeze hard enough to squirt the paste all
over the bathroom, but do apply enough pressure to let it come out gradually and evenly."
Basically we should grip the club tightly enough to hold onto it.
As the club changes positions, the pressure should be increased or decreased depending
upon
the resistance of gravity, inertia and centrifugal force. Where in the grip should the pressure be
exerted? Players who employ a conscious striking action with the right hand usually describe
more firmness in the grip and a sensation of pressure by the fingers against the shaft. In their
hand placement, they may trigger the right index finger slightly down the grip for greater
leverage and will have a pronounced callous on the right index finger where it rests against the
grip. Obviously, with either an "open face" (weak) or "closed face (strong) grip style, there will
be some leverage exerted against the shaft with that part of the finger upon impact. What we
are talking about is the degree of leverage which is consciously applied. Some leading players
of a half century ago felt that the primary pressure should be between the pincers of the thumb
and forefinger of each hand.
Today's imperative, "Hold on with the last three fingers of the left hand," was not as critical a
factor at that time because the swing style employed a great deal of hand action. That former
style is seldom seen or talked about today, yet it may have some rare application to the "rigidhands player" who needs more freedom in his swing.
The last of the four points under discussion is simple, yet critically important.
Precision, is an either/or situation. A player either grips the club in a precise fashion (the same
way each time) or is careless about the grip so that it is seldom the same. Altering the
rotational positioning of the hands a half-inch in either direction from one swing to the next can
result in a tee shot that travels 30-40 yards off line. Subtle changes in a grip can be the
difference between driving the ball in the fairway or into the water, hitting the green or the
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bunker, making the putt or lipping it out. Golf is a game of consistency. The foundation for
consistency is a repeating swing that must start with a repeating grip. Hogan, in further
commenting on the subject said, "In golf, there are certain things you must do quite precisely,
where being half right accomplishes nothing. This certainly applies to grip."
Aim
1. Aim
2. How We Aim
3. The Norm
Aim
Golf is a target game. Granted, distance must be overcome-- often long stretches of it--but it is
distance to a precise location. Considering the size of the target (4 1/4 inches in diameter) and
its relation to the size of the playing field (generally over 100 acres), it is obvious that direction
must always play a critical role. A good golf swing produces the ball/club contact which
overcomes the problems of distance and direction.
Although scoring in the game is determined by a high percentage of skills other than the full
swing, golfers nonetheless tend to get caught up in the intricacies of the elusive swing motion.
However, many who follow this quest fail to recognize that no matter how efficient and precise
the swinging mechanism becomes, it is of little consequence unless aimed correctly.
Is aim important? Consider this. A perfect swing made in the wrong direction will produce a
most imperfect shot. Timing, rhythm, speed and square contact are of little value unless they
produce a shot that travels toward the target. What a waste to make a good swing and come
up with a bad shot because of faulty aim!
What does one need to aim in golf? First the clubface, then himself. The "himself" includes the
eyes, shoulders, hips, knees and feet. Don't think that correctly lining up one part of the body
automatically aligns the others. Most assuredly it does not.
If the player's objective is to hit a straight shot to the target, it will have to be accomplished in
the following way: the clubhead must be traveling on a path toward the target at contact and
the face must be square or at right angles to that path. Whatever combination of body and
clubface positions which consistently accomplishes these objectives is the correct aim for the
golfer. Read the above last sentence again! It doesn't say you must assume your setup with
your stance or clubface square, open or closed. It says. "Whatever combination of body and
clubface positions which consistently accomplishes these objectives" ...these objectives are
"path to the target and face square" at impact.
Golf is a target game. Granted, distance must be overcome-- often long stretches of it--but it is
distance to a precise location. Considering the size of the target (4 1/4 inches in diameter) and
its relation to the size of the playing field (generally over 100 acres), it is obvious that direction
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must always play a critical role. A good golf swing produces the ball/club contact which
overcomes the problems of distance and direction.
How We Aim
You may be better able to appreciate the problems associated with developing a consistent
aim in golf if you compare it to aiming in other sports.
Think of how a rifle is aimed. The barrel of the delivery system at short range is pointed right at
the target. Look down the barrel (or sighting device) with the sighting eye. When the barrel is
lined up with the target, fire! In golf, if the eyes, feet, hips or shoulders were the delivery
system (equivalent to the gun barrel,) one would aim them at the target. But they are not. The
delivery system (the clubhead) can be positioned on a line as far as two-and-a-half feet in front
of the sighting device (the eyes).
The eyes have a different perspective than the clubhead or even the left shoulder, which is a
primary controller of the clubhead's path. The eyes view the shot from a place in-between the
clubhead and shoulder. The fact that the right eye is farther from the shoulder line than the left
eye when your head turns to look at the target may be part of the reason that right handers
frequently aim their shoulders too far to the right. They are trying to put their shoulders on line
with what their sighting eye sees as it looks from its perspective.
Now, add that to the fact that the positioning of the feet, knees and hips has an influence on
the alignment of the shoulders at impact, and it is easy to understand why even the greatest
players in the world have one question they ask teachers more than any other,